Midland veterans remember 9/11

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, September 10, 2008

By Shanna Sissom

City Editor

Jim Butler of Midland was working in Kansas on Wednesday when the thought of today - Sept. 11 - brought back memories of the terrorist attacks seven years ago.

"I've thought about it all day long," the Vietnam veteran said late Wednesday. "For every job ticket, I've got to write down Sept. 10 as the date, which tells me 9/11 will be next. And I don't even remember my own birthday."

Traveling with him was fellow veteran Jerry Wall, commander of Midland's American Legion Woods Lynch Post 19. Both men will be working as usual today, but also reflecting.

"I've been thinking about it for a couple of days now, knowing it's drawing near," Wall said. "I took 9/11 personal because it was an attack on our people, and that's not supposed to happen."

Meanwhile back in Midland, two veteran Army buddies talked politics of the day. Seeking sanctuary from flooded streets during Wednesday's downpour, they shared a cold beverage and realized today's date was near.

For a moment, the conversation became solemn. Then there was speculation about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts, and if he was even alive at all.

And everyone recollected exactly when and where they were when they first heard news of the attacks.

This year, enough time has passed that memories of the day don't seem quite so painful for some.

"People forget quick," explained Tom Owens, a former military combat engineer. "People were anxious to get the people who knocked those towers down, but people get impatient in a hurry, especially when they start seeing caskets come home."

With that, more political talk ensued and previous wars revisited.

But as the conversation shifted, deep reverence for those massacred again took over.

"I'll have a moment of silence for the lost and their loved ones," veteran Danny Carte said, and explained how the attacks affected those like him. "It united the veterans more, pulling everybody together; it united the old veterans."

As the city and nation remembers the terror of seven years ago, most will do so working and otherwise carrying on with their lives.

"People have not forgotten 9/11, but they have moved on," Owens said. "Just like Pearl Harbor."

### Shanna Sissom is city editor of the Reporter-Telegram. She can be reached at shanna@mrt.com ###